Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 808

808. Inspection

Normally, knights wouldn’t often act as personal escorts.
For them, simply standing still would be a loss to national power.
It was generally more advantageous for knights to guard borders or deal with the numerous dangers lurking across the continent.
This is precisely why the Knights of the Red Cloak couldn’t easily leave the southern border.
Of course, some did as they pleased, but considering the continent as a whole, knights weren’t particularly numerous.
Therefore, the captain of the Royal Guard likely couldn’t have calculated such a scenario. Therefore, he had nothing to say. Still, he resisted to the very end.

“You can’t build a wall with one hand.”

Krang ignored the rebellion.

“Yeah. That’s different. Right now, all you have to do is protect me.”
“People have two eyes.”

Encred believed the Royal Guard captain was right. Not only did he have to detect danger in the first place, but preventing it from happening required considerable effort.
That wasn’t something an individual, even a knight, could accomplish. In the first place, a personal close-quarters escort wouldn’t naturally be able to leave a certain radius around the escorted target.
Encred had considerable experience as a bodyguard. That’s why he knew.

“Does that mean that raids beyond the knight’s knowledge could occur within the capital?”

Krang asked abruptly. The captain of the Royal Guard answered with a confident tone, knowing he was being dragged into it.

“It’s my job to be careful about the one-in-a-million chance.”
“Then I guess I should say this. It’s my job to rule so that the one-in-a-million chance doesn’t happen.”

All this time, he’d been solving the security problems surrounding the capital and putting in a lot of effort to keep it safe.
Even with all the work he’d done, was he still being threatened?
It could have been. No matter what he did, he couldn’t eliminate all danger. There was perfection, but no perfection.
That’s just how the world works. Furthermore, with the recent opening of the trade route through Nauril, the city was teeming with people—giants, elves, dwarves, frogs, and beastmen alike.
Westerners, southerners, and even the occasional imperial official were also visiting.

‘That’s forced.’
‘It’s forced.’
‘Forced.’

From Encred to Marcus, Matthew, and the Royal Guard Captain, everyone knew what he was saying was far-fetched. But Krang, speaking like that, shone with a radiance. Since his back was to the east, the rising sun cast a long shadow from his back to his front. Even that shadow seemed to be imbued with conviction. Krang continued, his tone brimming with confidence.

“So, don’t worry. Besides, even if I die, the country won’t end. The current Naurilia isn’t weak.”

The captain spoke, even though he had half given up.

“My job is to protect you.”
“I know that too.”

Krang, speaking with a smile, seemed to be seeking a concession.
With that, Encred was able to dismiss the Royal Guard captain and leave the inner castle with Krang. The two walked out without a word. Encred, walking at a steady pace, brought up the incident from earlier.

“It was forced.”

Krang nodded immediately. He seemed to have no intention of denying it, and he didn’t seem ashamed.

“I know.”
“But why?”
“Well, I should tell you everything now, but I think you’ll understand even if I don’t, so I won’t.”

“You’ve developed a knack for persuading others with sophistry, even while we’re apart.”
Encred nodded in agreement. Krang added.

“If necessary, even the king must take risks. And what I want to do is conduct an undercover inspection.”

A secret inspection is a way to conceal the king’s identity and observe the people of the capital. If he were to lead a large escort, he would be noticed, thus losing the meaning of secret observation.
But was there a real need for it? At this point?
Not really. But there was.
While it might seem like a random undercover mission from a normal perspective, Encred knew that Krang wouldn’t do something meaningless. It would be hard to guess without being told why.
However, he felt it, and instinctively, that Krang had a desire.

“Still recovering?”

Krang asks.

“Both arms still need rest.”
“You said you needed rest, so why did you squeeze Asia and the soldier like that?”
“That was rehabilitation training.”

Encred was serious, but Krang must have taken it as a joke and laughed lightly.
He had said it was a secret inspection, but all he had on was a hood with a pointed brim pulled down askew. He didn’t seem to have bothered to hide his face.

“Doesn’t it make sense to leave your face uncovered?”
“How many people do you think would recognize the king just because he lives in the capital? You can count them on one hand.”

Encred saw that Krang was hoping someone would discover him.
He also seemed content with the fact that his injuries weren’t yet perfect.

‘What do you want?’

If you think about it carefully, I think the answer will come.

“They say it’s an undercover operation, but they don’t hide their true identities by revealing their faces.”
“They nod with satisfaction at the extent of my injuries.”
“They deliberately dropped their guard.”

And he also said some kind of ominous atmosphere was circulating within the capital.
Was he trying to use him as bait to lure in enemies? Would that work? Would it be politically advantageous for the people to know that the king had been attacked?

‘It seems like a loss.’

Public order within the city, the stability gained by sweeping away the surrounding monsters, demons, and bandits—
all these are the reasons Nauril is currently thriving. In this context, is there any need to reveal that there’s a blade targeting the king? Even if there is, is there a need to reveal it so openly? Isn’t it just a rumor?

“Look.”

In the midst of his thoughts, Krang spoke. Encred cast his thoughts aside and turned his gaze.
Ahead, he saw a path paved with white stones, still occasionally traversed by people. The stones had traced a path.

“There are four roads that run through the capital. This is the White Road leading to the inner city.”

As I walked over it, I felt the rustling of white sand. Krang spoke again.

“It’s made by cutting white stones and laying them down.”

It also seemed as if a smooth, stone-paved road had been built to separate carriage and pedestrian traffic.
This was part of Nauril’s road project. The two paths were separated, and carriages would travel at set times, carrying passengers.
This path would help prevent getting lost in the complex city.

‘It’s similar to Border Guard.’

Christie was also engaged in and carrying out a similar venture.

“And do you see that?”

Encred followed Krang’s finger. He saw a warehouse with a round roof.
What distinguished it from ordinary warehouses was the texture of its covering, which seemed metallic. The building shimmered silver in the sunlight.
Silver waves seemed to curve over the building.

“They say that the ones of inferior quality can’t be used properly. I wrapped them around the outside and attached a spell object that infuses cold air inside.”

Maintaining the cold with a spec object costs a lot of Krona. This device was designed to maintain it semi-permanently. The outer shell was made of a magical metal, and a formula was created based on that to continuously circulate the cold within.
Of course, Encred didn’t know the details. Only Esther would have found this device amusing.

“The government provided money and lent it to various businesses, making some money with the krona.”

It wasn’t a boast. He was just saying it out of politeness since he was in the city.
No, he seemed excited now. Wasn’t he bragging to his friend about what he’d done?
Krang was a king, but he was also a good guide.
There were also outlying roads, where carriages were blocked from passing by merchants, and those meant for those in a hurry.
Afterwards, they bought some apples dipped in sugar water and walked side by side, munching on them.
Encred felt his five senses suddenly heightened, and the world around him slowed down.
Why? His five senses converging, stimulating his sixth sense. He didn’t know why, but he sensed danger. He put the apple in his mouth, reached out, and opened and closed his hand. It was a simple movement, but it was so fast that it wouldn’t have been visible to the average person.
Something caught in that gesture.

Knock! Crackle.

The arrow shaft in his hand trembled. It wasn’t an arrow fired with ordinary force. And it wasn’t just one arrow.
Three arrows flew in quick succession. Encred’s hands moved as if grasping the air.

Knock, knock, knock, thump.

Four arrows were caught.
He was still injured, but he was still training. This wasn’t much of a problem.
Encred’s gaze spread widely, centering on the building.

‘A skilled assassin.’

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fired an arrow and immediately moved away. Rooftops, windows, the alleys of the market.
Rats lurked in the shadows, intent on killing. There were many assassins.
Encred blocked Krang’s path with his body. He could have blocked these arrows all night long. No, he could have caught them.

“……It blocks all of that.”

Krang spoke from behind. His tone was one of surprise, but the kind of surprise was strange. It seemed more like he was surprised by things not going as he’d hoped, rather than by my skill.

“There are a lot.”

Encred’s tone was calm. Whether it was an arrow or a javelin, it would be the same. Even a
knight could block such an attack. Of course, he couldn’t just grab a newborn’s wrist like he was doing now.
Even this was enough to break the assassin’s resolve, but his opponent wouldn’t give up.
Two more arrows flew. However, this time, they were different.
Encred’s thoughts accelerated, and he recognized two lines.

‘One has a spicy scent.’

The other one had a pungent aroma.
It was an arrow coated with a spell. So what’s the reaction?
If you cut it midair, it’ll explode, causing a devastating aftershock. The best way to deal with two arrows is to step forward and cut the shafts with your sword.
So, by leaving Krang behind and taking a few steps forward to intercept, you could preemptively block the aftershock. That was their strategy.

‘If I dodge, the remaining arrows will fly in.’

So, all you had to do was defend this position.
Encred did just that. The first arrow was a pungent arrow, a coiled scroll that would explode if stopped. Then, all you had to do was not stop it. He struck the tip of the arrowhead like the thrust of a skilled warrior wielding a sword or spear, and tapped it with the back of his hand. That changed the arrow’s trajectory.
The arrow that had been spraying the pungent odor aimed at Kraang changed its trajectory and flew over his head.
The next arrow was the same. This one, which released a cloud of poison the moment it exploded, flew far away at Encred’s gesture.
The first arrow exploded three stories above the ground, and the second, piercing through the alleyways of the market, created a bang and a green mist.
Some of the attacking assassins gaped involuntarily.
What was I just seeing?
Catching the arrow was already remarkable, but he flicked the arrow wrapped tightly around the scroll with a wave of his hand.
It looked as if he was waving his palm, creating a gust of wind to deflect it.
Encred brushed his hand away casually. The arrowhead had grazed him, but there was no wound, only a red mark.
Will had moved in an instant, covered himself with armor, and the arrowhead hadn’t directly cut his flesh.

“It’s sharp.”

Then he spoke his sentiments.
Encred didn’t bother to look where the others were hiding.
Still, he couldn’t leave. He had to protect Krang.
That meant he could only block arrows fired from afar.
It was always the defender who was at a disadvantage, so there was no other way.
All the assassins glared at Encred, trying to move their hands again. Sensing this, Encred’s mouth fell open.

“I didn’t come alone.”

The ability to hide in the shadows was not their exclusive property.